Earlier this week, the Hawks forward said he would file a suit for $50 million against NYPD and the officers who broke his ankle and ended his season. He also said he would use his platform as an NBA player to shed light on the issue and enact change.

“Talking with my family, my agent, and decided that all this has put my career possibly in jeopardy, so in the light of all of this, I think it’s the right thing to do to file a civil lawsuit,’’ said Sefolosha, who missed Thursday’s 112-101 win over the Knicks at the Garden and will sit out back-to-backs to rest the ankle, which has yet to recover fully.

“Definitely that’s mostly about keep talking about the incident, what happened and by raising awareness to as many people as possible. I think it’s the right move. Hopefully it’ll push people to bring some changes, to keep the discussion open about it.’’

At about 4 a.m. on April 8, Sefolosha and Hawks teammate Pero Antic were at 1Oak in Chelsea when Milwaukee’s Chris Copeland got into an argument on the street outside and was stabbed. Sefolosh evacuated the club and joined a crowd on West 17th Street. Two cell-phone videos published by TMZ showed at least five officers violently force Sefolosha to the ground, and one office brings a baton down on his leg.

Sefolosha, who is heard telling the officer “Relax, man,” suffered a season-ending broken ankle in the melee. Police claimed the 6-foot-7 swingman “charged” at them and arrested him for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration. Despite facing up to two years in jail, he came to New York in September and rejected plea deals; earlier this month, it took a jury just 45 minutes to exonerate him.

“It’s something that Thabo has handled very well. He’s somebody we feel is of the highest character,’’ said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, who flew to New York to testify during the trial.

Thursday’s visit to the Garden stirred memories in the 31-year-old Swiss-South African, but it was nothing he hasn’t suffered through every day since the incident.

“Yeah, of course it reminds me of that night, but at the same time it’s been six months and I’ve been thinking about it almost daily,’’ said Sefolosha, who said he isn’t any more jaded or cautious with regards to the police. “Not really, just a bit more realistic and realize that something like this can happen to anybody. That’s why with the platform I have, being an NBA player, it’s good to speak on this issue.

“Police have a tough job, and they have big responsibility also with their job. I don’t think it’d be fair to knock down the police job … but at the same time, they have to be held accountable and be smart about how to interact with people. Fear is probably a big aspect of their job, but that doesn’t allow them to respond in any kind of way. People spoke about the training, and that’s a good starting point.”